Apr 24, 2025 02:51 PM IST
Imanvi addressed the baseless allegations on her as well as her family’s association with the Pakistani military. She called herself a proud Indian-American.
Prabhas’ next film with director Hanu Raghavapudi was officially announced last year, in which he will star alongside Iman Esmail, aka Imanvi. The actor has been in the limelight in the wake of the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, where there were several rumours that alleged that Imanvi is of Pakistani origin, with her family having links to the Pakistani military. The actor has now penned a long note on her Instagram account to address the allegations and stated that those are lies being spread by online trolls. (Also read: Who is Imanvi? Prabhas’ next co-star in Hanu Raghavapudi’s period film)
Imanvi addresses rumours
Imanvi began by offering her condolences to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. She said, “First and foremost, I want to express my most sincere and heartfelt condolences for the tragic event that took place in Pahalgam. My heart goes out to all those who lost their lives and their loved ones. Any loss of innocent life is tragic and weighs heavy on my heart. I strongly condemn the violent acts. As someone whose mission has always been to spread light and love through art, I hope to see a day soon where we can all come together as one.”
She then pointed out the lies spread about her identity and wrote, “I also want to address rumours and lies that have been falsely spread about my family and my identity via fake news sources and online media in order to create division and spread hate. Firstly, nobody in my family has ever been or is currently associated with the Pakistani military in any way. This and multiple other falsehoods have been fabricated by online trolls for the sole purpose of spreading hate. What is especially disappointing is that legitimate news outlets, journalists and those on social media failed to investigate their source material and instead have simply repeated these slanderous statements.”
‘I am a proud Indian American’
The post further read, “I am a proud Indian American who speaks Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati and English. I was born in Los Angeles, California after my parents legally immigrated to the United States as youth. Soon after they became American citizens. Upon completing my university education in the USA, I pursued a career in the arts as an actor, choreographer and dancer. After much work in this realm, I am much grateful to receive opportunities to work in the Indian film industry. The same film industry has been a great influence in my life, and I hope to add to the incredible legacy of the trailblazers that came before me. As someone who has Indian identity and culture running deep in my blood, I hope to use this medium as a form of unity and divisiveness.”
She concluded her post by saying, “I will work hard to ensure that this legacy carries on through my work and uplifts the experiences of my Indian heritage. Lots of love, Imanvi.”
Imanvi is set to star in the upcoming period drama directed by Hanu. Mythri Movie Makers will produce the film. It will also star Mithun Chakraborty and Jaya Prada in key roles. An excerpt from the synopsis of the story reads, “This historical fiction/alternate history set in the 1940’s is the tale of a warrior who rose from the shadows, emerging from a society that believed war was the only answer to the buried injustices and forgotten truths that history kept hidden from the world.”
